Injury occurrence in developing countries Can valid and prevention-oriented information on injury occurrence be obtained from existing data sources in developing countries? An example from Nicaragua

Abstract

Background Access to valid and prevention-oriented data is a prerequisite for solid and systematic preventive work in any setting. In Nicaragua, like in most developing countries, injury is rapidly emerging as one of the leading causes of death at levels clearly exceeding that in most industrialized countries. Objectives As the first component of a long-term strategy to develop safety promotion efforts in Nicaragua, this study includes a comparison of existing nationwide data sources on injury with respect to validity and prevention-relevance. Methods Four sources have been used in this study: traffic police records, newspapers, health records, and occupational statistics. Validity was estimated by comparing the different sources, and the relevance for prevention was assessed in terms of the amount of available information on injury mechanisms and pre-injury circumstances. Results The main causes of death according to both newspaper clippings and health statistics were intentional injuries and traffic accidents. National Health Statistics (MINSA) report more deaths than the newspapers. In contrast, traffic statistics report more traffic deaths than the National Health Statistics. None of the sources was found capable of producing valid estimates of the true injury situation, either concerning mortality or morbidity. However, some sources were found to include better prevention-oriented information than others, such as traffic police and INSSBI on traffic and occupational hazards, respectively. Valuable case descriptions can also be found in newspapers, including productrelated information.